Glove construction



A ril 25, 1939. B E 2,156,140

GLOVE CONSTRUCTION Filed Nov. 12, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR A ll ce Be as FM WM ATTO R N EY April 25, 1939. A BATES 2,156,140

GLOVE CONSTRUCTION Filed Nov. 12, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 25, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,156,140 7 GLOVE CONSTBUCTIQN Alice Bates, Long Island City, N. Y. Application November 12, 1938, Serial No. 240,124

Claims.

This invention relates to wearing apparel and more particularly refers to improvements in gloves where a continuous fourchette constituted by a single strip of material extending around all 5 of the fingers or where fourchettes extending in one piece between the tips of adjacent fingers are used.

In order to conform to the shape of the hand and provide a perfect fit, a glove should have crotches slanting from front to rear. In gloves of the type heretofore most commonly in use, where. the digit extensions of the back and front portions of the glove are connected by fourchettes which extend from the crotch to the tip of each finger, the slanting construction of the crotches is obtained by cutting the base edge of each fourchette at an angle inclined from front to rear and joining by stitching the base edges of adjoining fourchettes. This method of construction, where the front to rear stitching at the crotch meets the stitching joining the fourchettes to the palm and back portions of the glove, frequently results in poor matching of the various adjoining edges, marring the appearance of the glove and also results in a relatively weak construction, causing the seams to easily come apart when unduly stretched.

Furthermore, gloves of the ordinary type where a separate fourchette is used for each side of each finger require the handling of a great number of pieces to be joined together, so that a great deal of care and labor must be expended in order to produce a well turned out glove.

Aside from the high labor costs resulting from such a. method of construction and the chance of the seams breaking open after a comparatively short period of use, gloves of the ordinary type have also been found objectionable because of the pointed finger tip ends resulting from the pointed shape of the fourchettes. In such gloves the four longitudinal seams used for each finger meet at the tip end' of the resulting pointed structure, which unduly constricts the finger tip of the wearer, and allows little, or no flexibility developing also a high tendency to ripping.

In order to obviate the disadvantages resulting from such a construction, there has been suggested the use of fourchettes which cross over the tip of each finger from side to side, said fourchettes being preferably formed by using a continuous strip of material extending along and around all of the fingers. Such a type of construction has been described, for instance, in the patent to Johanson, Number 1,864,439, and

has resulted in a material simplification and economy in manufacture.

A glove of the type where a continuous fourchette strip is used has also been described and claimed by me in another application for patent, entitled Glove, S. N. 230,463, copending herewith which has issued into Patent No. 2,150,018, the main characteristic of the glove forming the subject of said application being that the fourchette strip is integral with the thumbpiece, so that the glove is composed of only two pieces.

Besides resulting in material savings in the cost of manufacture and providing stronger and more comfortable finger tip ends, the use of a continuous fourchette strip also resultsin a stronger crotch construction and improved appearance at the rear, where the slanting of the crotches between the fingers causes the seams between fourchettes of the ordinary type to be fully exposed. On the other hand, the continuous strip shown by 0 Johanson, calls for finger extensions on the palm portion of the glove having the same length as the corresponding finger extensions of the back portion, so that the glove does not provide the perfect fit and appearance that are so desirable in an article of wear, the crotches being somewhat loose or baggy at the rear.

I have, therefore, sought to remedy this defect while preserving the advantages deriving from the use of fourchettes integrally extending between adjoining fingers and this is the primary object of the present invention.

Another object is to provide a novel and improved method'of manufacturing gloves, resulting in a properly fitting and comfortable product of attractive appearance and durability, making it possible to effect practically the same savings in the cost of manufacture as can be realized by the continuous fourchette strip constructions heretofore known. 40

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will more fully appear as the description proceeds and will be set forth and claimed in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a pattern for the back and palm portions of a glove, such as described in my Patent No. 2,150,018 above referred to;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the pattern for the thumbpiece and fourchette strip integral therewith, used in connection with the pattern of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view in perspective of the back portion of a glove to which a continuone fourchette strip has been attached by stitch- 4 is a vertical section in an enlarged scale through one of the digit extensions of the back portion of the glove shownin Fig. 3, alongline 4-4 of said fi ure;

Fig. 5 is a view in perspective of a glove made in accordance with my invention. showing the special construction of crotch:

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a-strip adapted for forming a fourchette extending from the tip of one finger to the tip of an adJoining finger; and

Fig.7isafragmentaryviewinperspectiveof two adjoining digit extensions of the back portion of the glove, provided with a fourchette continuous from tip to tip and shaped at the crotch according to my invention.

The blank or pattern for the back and palm portion of a glove embodying the invention formifig the subject of my Patent No. 2,150,018above referred to, shown in Fig. l, differs from the ordinary blank or pattern in that the forward ends of said back and. palm portion are not joined along a common longitudinal line but are spaced from each other, the clearance space therebetween forming a relatively narrow side extension of the thumbpiece socket. Referring to said Fig. 1, 2| designates the palm portion and 22 the back portion of my improved glove. The finger extensions 23, 24, 25, 26 of the palm portion corresponding to the little, third, middle and index fingers, respectively, are symmetrical with the finger extensions 23', 24', 25', 26', of the back portion, and the index finger extensions 26, 26' are separated by a relatively narrow longitudinal clearance space 21, which is joined at 28 to the thumbpiece socket 29. Tab 30 going to form the crotch between the thumb and index finger extends downwardly into the thumbpiece socket in the usual manner. The glove is completed by a thumbpiece 3|, which is formed integral with a fourchette strip 32 extending therefrom, so that the glove is composed of only two pieces.

The blank or pattern of the thumbpiece proper 3], shown at Si in Fig- 2, has a contour substantially similar to that of the thumbpiece used in ordinary gloves, the tip portion being formed of two symmetrical halves 12, 43, to be folded along a'median longitudinal line 44 and eventually Joined by stitching along their edges up to the point 40, as shown in Fig. 2.

The fourchette strip which starts at the end of the folding line 34 of the crotch tab 30 and ,runs along the outer'side of the index finger,

'over and beyond the tip thereof, continues in a sinuous line to form the wall, crotches and tips of all the succeeding fingers until after having reached the tip end of the little finger it continues downwardly .to the base 36 of the wrist of the glove, is preferably obtained in the form of a coil surrounding the thumbpiece so that it may be obtained, together with the thumbpiece, from a relatively small piece of materiaLas Fig. 2 clearly shows.

Referring again to Fig. 1, it will be seen that the slots 45 between the finger extensions of the back portion of the glove reach to a greater depth than the corresponding slots 46 between the finger extensions of the palm portion. The difference in the resulting lengths of the slots substantially corresponds to the differences in the depth between the front and rear of the crotches in the hand.

Thisis the mason why the fourchette strip should first be attached to the back portion of' the glove, in order to afford the possibility of shaping it to a slant at the crotches and. bring the front edge of the strip in register with the contour of the edge line of the finger extensions of the palm portion.

Figs. 3 and 4 show the fourchette strip at-- tached bystitching to the back portion of the glove. According to my invention, after the strip is thus joined to the back portion of the glove,

the slanted crotches are obtained by trimming the outer end of thestrip at each crotch turn to follow the slighthr concave slanted contour of the crotches in the hand. This is done by pressing together the two sides pf the loop formed by the strip at such points and trimming the outer end of the folded portion without, however, affectingthe continuity of the rear edge portion of the strip, that is, the portion which has already been attached to the back portion of the glove. I

Referring more particularly to Figs. 3 and 4, it

will be seen that when the strip is first attached to the back portion of the glove, it extends at the folding points between adjoining fingers substantially at right angles to the surface of the back portion of the glove, as shown at 41, 48, in Fig. 3 and as shown in clot and dash lines at 49 in Fig. 4. Figs. 3 and 4 also show how the front end of the folded portion of the strip between the index and middle fingers is trimmed, as shown at 50, to cut off the front end of said folded portion, shown in dot and dash lines at Si in Fig. 4, along the slanted line 52, which, as stated, is preferably slightly curved to follow the outline of the crotch.

The rear, 53, of the folded portion of the strip as stated, is not affected by the trimming operation so that before joining the front edge of the strip to the palm portion of the glove it will only be necessary to sew together the two adjoining edges produced by the trimming operation.

In Fig. 5, showing a finished glove 54, it is seen that the two edges resulting from the trimming operation at the crotch are joined by a short line of stitching 55, which naturally does not extend to the back of the glove because the material has been severed from the strip by the trimming operation starting at a point 56 spaced a certain distance from the surface of the back portion of the glove.

As a result of this construction I obtain a glove which is not only stronger at the crotch than gloves where the seam Joining the base of the fourchette strips runs all the way from the front to the rear, but also is greatly improved in appearance because the crotch seams will be practically invisible at the rear as well as at the front, becoming visible only when the fingers are spread apart. Furthermore, the advantage of sewing the continuous fourchette strip to, the back portion of the glove in a continuous operation is retained, as well as the advantage of thereafter sewing the strip to the palm portion of the glove in another single operation, because after the crotches have been completed by the short lines of stitching 55, to all intents and purposes the strip again becomes a strip having an uninterrupted front edge.

In Fig. 4 the dot and dash line 5'! represents the width of the-strip as originally applied to the back portion 22 of the glove. In said figure, it will be seen that the strip, shown in full lines, is trimmed not only along the front end of its folded portion but is also cut to taper to a relatively narrow tip end 58. This represents the preferred procedure in the manufacture of gloves in accordance with "-'tlons between adjoining fingers, and last to join 'it may be preferable to use separate fourchettes,

my invention because'by tapering the fourchettes thus produced the fingers of the glove will better fit the tapering shape of the fingers of the wearer. The tapering operation is preferably performed after the strip has been joined to the back portion of the glove and before the trimming of the crotch portions to a slanted shape; however, the sequence of the two operations can be reversed if desired.

It is, of course, also possible to trim the strip to shape so as to form the continuous tapering fourchettes and the slanting crotches before the strip is joined to the back portion of the glove; it is, of course, also possible when the stripis thus prepared in advance to sew together the two slanted edges of each crotch so as to complete the crotches before the strip is joined to either the front or back portion of the glove. However, in practice, it

is obviously preferable to follow the procedure previously described, that is, to join the strip to the back portion first, then to trim the fourchettes to produce the proper tapering shape of the fingersfthn to trim the front part of the folded porthe slanted edgeto complete the crotch before joining the front edge of the strip to the palm portion of the glove.

As previously stated, my improved crotch construction can also be applied in connection with fourchettes extending only from the tip of one finger to the tip of an adjoining finger. At times,

instead of a continuous fourchette strip; this is the case, for instance, where such a procedure permits of utilizing pieces of material too small to provide a full length strip and not utilizable for other purposes; also when it should be desirable for decorative purposes to make the fourchettes of different or alternate colors.

A fourchette of this type is illustrated in Figs. Y

6 and '7, where 59 is a strip of uniform width, long enough to reach from the tip of one finger, 60,

down to the crotch BI and up to the tip of an ad joining finger 62.

As in the previous case, the strip is first joined to the adjoining finger extensions of the back portion of the glove, then it is trimmed to a taper towards the finger tip ends, as shown at 63, and then it is trimmed to a slant at'the front of the crotch, as shown at 64, the two slanted edges of the crotch thus produced being subsequently joined to each other to complete the crotch before the front edge 65 is joined to the corresponding finger extensions of the palm portion. Also in this case it is possible, if desired, to trim the strip to shape before it is applied in position, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6. In said figure, 64' represents a notch made to correspond with the folding line, said notch having inclined sides, resulting in the slanted crotch when the strip is folded at that point.

The dotted lines 66, 61, represent the outline of the strip which may be produced by trimming, before the strip is applied in position, in order to obtain the tapering fourchettes.

Although I have described my invention as my glove may varyto a certain extent from those shown and described without departing from the sions of the back portion extending to a greater depth than the slots between the corresponding digit extensions of the palm portion, a fourchette strip interposed between said two portions and forming therebetween a continuous connection following the outline of a plurality of said digit extensions, the rear edge of said strip following the contour of and being joined to the digit extensions of said back portion, the front part only of its folded crotch portions being trimmed at a slant to follow the outline of the crotch of the hand, the two edge portions resulting from the trimming operation at each crotch being sewed together to complete said crotch, the resulting continuous front edge of said strip following the contour of andbeing joined to the digit extensions of the palm portion.

2. In a glove comprising back and palm portions having corresponding digit extensions separated by slots, a fourchette interposed between and joining two adjoining digit extensions of the back portion with the corresponding two digit extensions of the palm portion, said'fourchette extending in a continuous loop from the tip of one finger to the tip of the other and being folded therebetween to form the crotch, the rear edge of said fourchette following the contour of and being joined to the digit extensions of said back portion, the front part only of the folded portion thereof being notched to follow the outline of the crotch of the hand, the two edge portions of the notch being sewed together to complete the crotch of the glove.

3. The method of producing a glove from a back portion, a palm portion and a continuous fourchette strip, said back and front portions having corresponding digit extensions separated by slots, the slots between the digit extensions of the back portion extending to a greater depth than the slots between the corresponding digit extensions of the palm portion, which consists in first joining the strip to the'back portion causing it to follow the contour of the digit extensions thereof, then cutting off at a slant the front end only of each crotch portion of the strip to follow the outline of the crotches of the hand, then joining the edges of each crotch resulting from the cutting operation, and finally attaching the front edge of the strip to the palm portion of the glove.

4. The method of producing a glove from a back portion, a palm portion and a continuous fourchette strip, said back and front portions having corresponding digit extensions separated by slots, the slots between the digit extensions of the back portion extending to a greater depth than the slots between the corresponding digit extensions of the palm portion, which consists in first joining the strip to the back portion causing it to follow the contour of the digit extensions thereof, then trimming the finger portions of the strip to taper towards the finger tips, then cutting off at a slant the front end only of each crotch joining the digit extensions of the back portion" with the digit extensions of the palm portion, the iourchette of one finger being made in one piece with the adjoining iourchette of an adjoining finger, the folding line of the crotch portion between the two i'ourchettes being only partially notched, said notch opening toward the palm portion of the glove and means joining the v side edges of the notched portion.

- ALICE BATES. 

